Insurance Glossary

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Accelerated Benefits Rider: A life insurance rider that allows for the early payment of some portion of the policy's face amount should the insured suffer from a terminal illness or injury.

Accidental Death Benefit Rider: A life insurance policy rider providing for payment of an additional cash benefit related to the face amount of the base policy when death occurs by accidental means.

Accidental Death Insurance: Insurance providing payment if the insured's death results from an accident.

Agent: An authorized representative of an insurance company who sells and services insurance contracts.

Annually Renewable Term: A form of renewable term insurance that provides coverage for one year and allows the policy owner to renew his or her coverage each year, without evidence of insurability. Also called yearly renewable term.

Assignment Assignment: The transfer of the ownership rights of a Life Insurance policy from one person to another.

Attained Age: Your current age. Your attained age is one of the factors life insurance companies use to determine your premiums. The older you are, the greater chance you'll die while you are covered - so the higher your premium.

Backdating: A procedure for making the effective date of a policy earlier than the application date. Backdating is often used to make the age of the consumer at issue lower than it actually was in order to get lower premium. State laws often limit to six months the time to which policies can be backdated.

Beneficiary: The person designated to receive the death benefit when the insured dies.

Binder: A temporary insurance policy that expires at the end of a specific time period or when the permanent policy is written. A binder is given to an applicant for insurance during the time the complete policy paperwork is being completed.

Cash Benefits: Money that is paid to the insured upon settlement of a covered claim. Often found with Hospital Income Programs, "cash benefits" are paid directly to the insured rather than the doctor or the hospital directly.

Cash Value: The equity amount or "savings" accumulation in a whole life policy. Claim Notification to an insurance company that payment of an amount is due under the terms of the policy.

Conditional Receipt: Given to policy owners when they pay a premium at time of application. Such receipts bind the insurance company if the risk is approved as applied for, subject to any other conditions stated on the receipt.

Contestable Clause: A provision in an insurance policy setting forth the conditions under which or the period of time during which the insurer may contest or void the policy. After that time has lapsed, normally two years, the policy cannot be contested. Example: Suicide.

Contingent Beneficiary: Person or persons named to receive proceeds in case the original beneficiary is not alive. Also referred to as secondary or tertiary beneficiary.

Coverage: Another word for insurance. Insurance companies use the term coverage to mean
either the dollar amounts of insurance purchased ($200,000 of liability coverage), or the type of loss covered (coverage for theft).


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